How Cold Summit is Solving Challenges for Frozen & Refrigerated Food Manufacturers

Frozen and refrigerated food manufacturers face unique hurdles that directly impact efficiency, profitability, and long-term success. Cold Summit’s approach to cold storage development is designed to address these challenges head-on.

Here are five of the biggest industry challenges and how we’re solving them.

Challenge 1: High Energy Consumption

Cold storage facilities are among the most energy-intensive building types, with refrigeration and temperature control driving up operating costs.

Our Solution: Cold Summit integrates state-of-the-art refrigeration systems paired with high-performance insulation and vapor barriers to minimize heat gain and optimize efficiency. Smart controls and energy-conscious design reduce utility costs, ensuring facilities operate at peak performance with long-term savings.

Challenge 2: Need for Multi-Temperature Zones

Manufacturers often require multiple storage conditions in a single facility, including frozen, refrigerated, and ambient spaces. Legacy buildings frequently lack the flexibility to handle these diverse product needs.

Our Solution: We design facilities with customizable, multi-temperature zones that seamlessly accommodate varied product lines. This ensures manufacturers can manage frozen, chilled, and dry goods under one roof, streamlining operations and reducing reliance on multiple facilities.

Challenge 3: Financial Risk in Cold Storage Development

Cold storage facilities demand significant upfront capital, and without the right structure, projects can face cost overruns, funding gaps, or long-term financial strain.

Our Solution: Cold Summit reduces financial risk by offering custom financing structures designed to support both development and operations. From 100% user-financed projects to 100% Cold Summit-financed solutions, we tailor debt financing options to meet each client’s needs. By working closely with investors, lenders, and financial partners, our team ensures seamless project funding and long-term financial sustainability—so clients can focus on their core business with confidence.

Challenge 4: Alignment with Supply Chain & Logistics

The efficiency of a cold storage facility is directly tied to its ability to integrate with logistics partners and distribution networks. Poor dock layouts or locations create bottlenecks and delays.

Our Solution: We collaborate directly with logistics providers, growers, and food & beverage manufacturers to design buildings around real operational flows. By maximizing dock doors, staging space, and site connectivity to shipping lanes, rail lines, and highways, we ensure seamless integration with supply chains and faster movement of goods.

Challenge 5: Scalability for Future Growth

As demand for frozen and refrigerated foods increases, manufacturers need facilities that can grow with them without costly rebuilds or relocations.

Our Solution: Cold Summit’s build-to-suit approach incorporates scalable designs and expansion options for the facility itself and its surrounding campus. Facilities are future-proofed, allowing manufacturers to add capacity or reconfigure layouts as product lines, demand, and markets evolve.

Building the Future of Food Manufacturing

At Cold Summit, we don’t just develop buildings, we deliver purpose-built solutions for food manufacturers navigating an increasingly complex cold chain. By focusing on efficiency, flexibility, and long-term value, we create facilities that reduce costs, mitigate risks, and enable growth.